MODERN SHOWROOMS

Evening Star, Issue 23179, 31 January 1939, Page 13

MODERN SHOWROOMS

OPENED BY THE MAYOR TODD MOTORS LTD. NEW PREMISES This is an age of progress, and modern appliances require modern salerooms in which to show them off to the best advantage. For this reason the enterprise of Todd Motors Ltd. in establishing up-to-date showrooms for their stock of motor cars and modern accommodation for their service department was the subject of commendatory remarks yesterday afternoon by many of those who attended the opening ceremony. The showrooms are buiU on the most modern principles, and the wide floor space gives an unaccustomed feeling of spaciousness. The fittings are of the modern design, and particular attention has been paid to the lighting. Mr Charles Todd, the governing director of the company, presided, and introduced the mayor.(Mr A. H. Allen).

THE FOUNDER’S ADDRESS. The founder of the company, Mr Charles Todd, said that this was a big event in the life of their company, and he was sure that they would agree that the buildipg was an addition to the ornamentation and stability of their fine city.

As they knew, he had been in business ever since be bad left school in Otago, Mr Todd said, and going to Wellington had not broken the ties of those early days.'. Well, here he was that day to welcome them -all on the occasion of the opening of the company’s fine premises. The business had not come into being in one day. He had dealt in Heriot in stock, wool, etc., for 30 years, Mr Todd continued, and at the end of that time the motor business had become a fairly important industry, but it had not, of course, reached the dimensions of today. In those early days be bad pur- ' chased a small De. Dion car, and it could do a wonderful speed down hill, with a fair wind—(laughter)—even up to" 15 miles an hour. He remembered that there was a notice board on the Bae’s Junction hill that the speed of cars was not to exceed six miles per hour.—(Laughter.) Twenty-five years ago it had been worthy of mention in the newspapers that a large shipment of cars had been landed in New Zealand by the Niagara, Mr Todd said. That shipment comprised 40 cars, and now nearly every ship brought 40 cars and upwards. He had also read in an old newspaper that Mr L. AV. Johnston, a solicitor, of Christchurch, had made a trip in a car from Christchurch through the West Coast and Nelson, and had arrived back safely in Christchurch.—(Laughter.) ORIGNS. Todd Motors had started business in Dunedin in 1915, and they had taken up the' Ford car. in Otago and Southland on a wholesale basis, Mr Todd proceeded. They received a wholesale commission for looking after the business. They had then asked the distributors for New Zealand to give them more territory, and had been informed that thev were too ambitious. Well, they had more ambitions later, and they were now in business throughout the Dominion. The company had started in business in Wellington about 15 years ago, and had taken up the , Chrysler franchise. Five years ago - they Lad : started assembly works at . number of-men "were Dow employed there. The works at Petone were an advantage from an economical point of view, and they were also the means of employing New Zealanders, Mr Todd commented. It was, they would agree, better to keep as much of their money in the country as possible. About the "same time they had opened the factory, in Wellington, they had secured the franchise for two English cars—the Humber and the Hillman Mr Todd said that motor transport had become one of the very big things of the world. The bullock had to give way to the horse, then the horse had to give way to the train, and now they had cars doing certain transport work better than the railways could accomplish, though; of course, on the other / Land, the railways could do certain transport work, better than the motor car.

MIRACULOUS TRANSPORT ADVANCES. There had been a great advance in motor car transport in the world during the past 20 years, said Mr Todd, and he gave figures to show how the business had progressed. He said that the number of cars in the world at the end of 1937 was approximately 34,675,800, and that New Zealand was the second most motorised country in the world. The United States led the way with one car to ■* each 4.34 persons and Now Zealand had one car to each 6,08 persons. Canada came third with one car to each 7.96 persons, and then Australia with one do 8.18. The number of cars in New Zealand in September, 1938, was approximately 195.000, and the number of trucks at the same date, 52,300. The number of care sold in New Zealand during 1937 was a record of 29,944. Of this total 18,500 had been assembled in New Zealand. The company’s factory at Petone employed hundreds of New Zealanders in this branch of the country’s activities. •The speaker gave further figures showing how the replacements of the existing cars must mean considerable business in this aspect of the car trade only. • He stated that the number of garages catering for the motoring public of New Zealand, exclusive of :purely filling stations, totalled 4approxi- ■ mately T,400, the number of mechanics ■ employed in them being 7,866. In addi- , tibn to the mechanics, 8,185 people were employed. The amount of wages paid during .1937 to these 8,185 workers was approximately £1,600,730. The figures covering employees and wages, were for technical workers only—that was, mechanics, assemblers, body-builders, trimmers> etc. Administration and office workers were not included. One of the biggest allied industries connected with the motor trade was that of tyres,, Mr Todd said, and during 1937, the amount spent by the public of New Zealand on tyres was approximately £1,743,952. The number of tyres sold during 1937, was approximately 436.000, Another large allied industry was that of petrol, and in New Zealand the number of pumps dispensing petrol was approximately 11.000. The amount of petrol consumed in New Zealand during 1937 was_ approximately 89,500,000 gallons, and it was interesting to note that the United States of America during the same period consumed 21,345,500,000 gallons. The amount of money spent by the public on petrol in New Zealand during 1937 was approximately_ £8,950,000, and the value of motor importations (i.e., vehicles, tyres, spares, materials, etc.) for 1937 was (cost at port-of shipment) £7,127,861. Mr Todd said that there might be people who did not agree with the Minister of Transport (Mr Semple) on some things. There might be differences of opinion regarding moving mountains and making croaked ways straight, but he did not think there was one who

would differ from him in his attempts at making their highways safe. Mr Todd said that ho had driven cars for 30 years and in many parts of the world, and he had not had an accident, and he would say that speed was the greatest cause of accidents in the whole of motoring activities. He did not want to say anything against the motor cycle, but ho would say that pillion riding was unsafe. His company would not suffer by restrictions as they had had the foresight to order far ahead. They had as many cars to sell this year as last year. The speaker concluded by congratulating the architects, Messrs Stone and Sturmer, and the builders, Messrs Robert Mitchell and Sons, on tbeir excellent work. PLEA FOR EMULATION.

In officially declaring the new building open the Mayor said he was pleased to have the opportunity of conveying to Messrs Todd Motors Ltd. the hearty congratulations of the citizens of Dunedin upon the official opening of such an important addition to the commercial buildings of the city. The building was striking in design and appearance, and was welcome as an outstanding addition to the many fine buildings. It provided the finest motor show rooms in the Dominion, and was equipped with the most modern plant for servicing motor cars.

“ Dunedin citizens will find added pleasure in the erection of these premises and in the progressive success of Messrs Todd Motors Ltd. when it is remembered that its founder and governing director, Mr Todd, graduated as a business man in this province and city, and has now become one of the foremost business men in New Zealand,” said the Mayor. “ From small beginnings in a stock and station agency business in Heriot, Mr Todd entered a motor agency business in Dunedin, which provided greater scope for his energy and enterprise.” This was but a stepping stone to still greater achievements, and he was now the head of one of the largest motor organisations in the Dominion and the managing director of some of its most successful trading companies, notably that of the Associated Motorists Petrol Co. Ltd. He was also one of the directors of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition held in Dunedin in 1925-26, and to-day he was vicechairman of directors of the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition to bg opened in Wellington on November 8. It was regrettable that owing to the greater scope at Wellington for his lino of business Dunedin lost one of its best business men. _ . There still undoubtedly existed in Dunedin opportunities equal, to those of its earlier history for men of vision, energy, and enterprise to enter new fields of business and thus enable them to retain such of their younger business men who possessed those qualities found in Mr Todd. “ We in Dunedin have unfortunately been inclined to believe that our geographical position is the cause of our placid if sound business methods,” continued the speaker. “If such a handicap exists, it is mainly in our mental attitude to. business, for with the rapid means of transport provided to-day, we can at favourable freight rates transport our products to any part of the Dominion in a few hours and successfully compete with those whose factories we nave become accustomed to consider better located geographically than our own in Dunedin. Referring again to the opening of this fine building, may I take the opportunity of expressing the hope that this enterprise by Messrs Todd Motors Ltd. will stir up many of our city property owners to emulate their example, ’ remarked the -Mayor. “ In our shopping area in particular many buildings are very old, and could be replaced with advantage to the owners and tenants, and decidedly enhance the appearance and usefulness of our city,” said Mr Allen. “ Sixty years ago, when our population was about 20,000, many of our present-day outstanding buildings had been erected, amongst them being the following: — University main buildings (1878), Museum (1877). Stock Exchange (1864), Bank of New Zealand, A.M.P. Building, Brown, Ewing, and Co. Ltd., Bing, Harris Ltd., Butterworth Bros., Sargood, Son, and Ewen Ltd., Town Hall administrative department (1875), First Church (1872), Knox Church, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Boys’ High School (1885), Grand Hotel. These alone show the faith our earlier settlers had in the future of Dunedin, and surely we must agree that the future holds equal possibilities for our own and future generations. I venture the opinion that in this respect we have not maintained the same degree of enterprise as exhibited by our earlier pioneers. Many shops erected from seventy to eighty years ago are still doing duty. During the passing of those years the only improvement to some of them has been an occasional reconditioning and modernising of their frontages only, whereas others still retain their original and very unattractive architectural features. To-day, Messrs Todd Motors Ltd. are showing us how to modernise and brighten our city, and incidentally give better financial returns to property owners. 1 express the hope that their enterprise will be amply rewarded by a substantial and sustained impetus to their business, and now have much pleasure in officially declaring these premises open, for their business purposes.” (Applause.) , , , After Mr Todd had briefly thanked the mayor for opening the new building afternon tea was served to those present. _